EDITORIAL - A long haul
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 and the Police Regional Office-7 should take seriously President Rodrigo Duterte's statement criticizing Central Visayas and Cebu as still having the highest drug contamination rate in the country.
That illegal drugs continue to plague the city and the region as alleged by the president despite the intensified campaign should tell us that there must be something wrong with the way the authorities are carrying out their approach.
In his recent trip to Cebu, Duterte once again branded Cebu as having the highest drug rate in the country. "Ang Cebu ha, I'm warning it's the highest - one of the highest rates sa contamination. Hasta ang pulis dire. Cebu remains to be a problem sa drugs," he said.
The PDEA-7 seems to corroborate the president's statement. Director Emerson Margate admitted that Central Visayas has the highest number of barangays infested with illegal drugs of all regions in the country.
According to PDEA records, Central Visayas has 2,629 barangays affected with illegal drugs while Zamboanga Peninsula has 1,831 barangays. National Capital Region comes close at third with 1,627 barangays influenced by drugs.
It seems the war on drugs in Cebu and the region is far from being won as far as the contamination rate is concerned. This despite the fact the PDEA-7 and the police have heightened their drive against those involved in the illegal trade.
There's really nothing wrong with daily seizures of illegal drugs in authorities' strengthened drive across the region. The only problem is that, even with the daily operations against drug pushers and dealers, the sources continue to supply huge volumes to Cebu and the region under the noses of the authorities.
Just because the PDEA and the police have taken an aggressive approach and confiscate kilos in their daily operations does not mean victory in the war on drugs is just around the corner. It seems that, based on the president's statement, winning the battle is going to be a long haul.
- Latest
